Years before Keri Russell became a household name for fronting the popular drama series Felicity, she was part of one of the most star-studded young casts as a member of The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. The ‘90s sketch series starred big-names-to-be like Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake ahead of their viral fame. Looking back, Russell doesn’t count herself among the most talented of the crew.
With 2023 marking thirty years since Russell last appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club reboot, the Emmy-nominated actress recently shared her thoughts about being part of the show to W Magazine. In her words:
Some of those people are still my best friends—Ilana [Miller] and Lindsey [Alley]. I was there at a time when there were a lot of famous kids there. And I say this completely truthfully: I was literally the least talented one there. I'm not kidding. When I look at those kids, I'm like, why in the world did they pick me? Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears. It was wild.
No matter what Keri Russell might think, we know she’s a massive talent in her own right between her incredible six season run on The Americans to frequently working with J.J. Abrams on projects from Felicity to Star Wars. Most recently, Russell starred in a series called The Diplomat, which you can stream with a Netflix subscription. The actress also had more jokes when asked if she saved anything from her time on the series, saying this:
My sanity, my dignity. Not everyone got out alive.
Now, Russell was 15 when she first appeared on the Mickey Mouse Club reboot in 1991 and so of course she has some cringe thoughts about her teenage self being on TV. Looking back on the actress’ run on the kids show, she looks absolutely cool and oozing with personality from my estimation, but if any of us looked back on our high schooler self we’d probably have similar words to say. Check out a taste of Russell on the show:
Across The All-New Mickey Mouse Club revival, which aired from 1989 to 1994, there were over 30 cast members, many of which did not go on to find themselves with the kind of lasting career Russell has found in Hollywood. It’s pretty amazing that a handful of young people who would go on to help define a new generation of entertainers were all cast together, and Keri Russell is definitely among those select handful of global sensations.
Obviously Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and NSYNC members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez went on to be major names in pop music, but also Ryan Gosling has been a huge name in the movie industry for decades now, finding tons of memorable characters over the years, most recently playing Ken in Barbie.
Back in 2018, Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears reunited on the Ellen show after Spears shared her interest in doing a Mickey Mouse Club reunion. It would be fun to see the cast come back together and share memories of meeting each other before their massive fame, wouldn’t it?
